An imprint technique is a technique of forming a micropattern on a substrate (wafer) by using a mold on which the micropattern is formed. An example of the imprint technique is a photo-curing method. In the imprint technique using this photo-curing method, a fluidable resin as an imprint material is supplied to the position of a shot region which is an imprint region on a wafer. The supplied resin is cured by irradiation with light in a state in which a pattern of a mold is pressed against (imprinted on) the resin. The pattern of the cured resin is transferred onto the substrate by separating (releasing) the mold from the resin.
In the manufacture of a semiconductor chip, it is necessary to accurately align the wafer and the mold when imprinting the mold. As a method of aligning the wafer and the mold in an imprint apparatus, a so-called die-by-die method is known in which alignment is performed by detecting a mark formed on the mold and a mark formed in each shot region of the wafer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-522412 describes an imprint apparatus which calculates a relative displacement between a mold (template) and a wafer by detecting an alignment mark, and relatively moves a stage (a template stage or a substrate stage).
In imprint of a micropattern, a gap between a mold and a wafer at the time of imprinting is 1 μm or less. A resin which fills this gap has viscoelasticity which combines viscosity and elasticity. If both of the mold and the wafer are relatively moved for alignment at the time of imprinting, the viscoelasticity of the resin causes a force to act between them. Since this force also has effect on a mold pattern, the micropattern may deform. The pattern deformation unwantedly produces a defective semiconductor chip.